Two sided hidden zipper for removable cover

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to an improved removable cover for a duvet, comforter, or other bedding material that includes an opening along at least two adjacent sides that may further include a hidden closure mechanism running along the length of the opening, and a method for effectively arranging and enclosing the bedding material within the removable cover.

CROSS REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority and the benefit thereof from a U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/229,029, filed on Jul. 28, 2009, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an improved removable cover for a duvet, comforter, or other bedding material that includes an opening along at least two adjacent sides that may further include a hidden closure mechanism running along the length of the opening, and a method for effectively arranging and enclosing the bedding material within the removable cover.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Washing and changing bedding covers has always required the difficult and unwieldy process of inserting a large piece of bedding, such as a duvet or comforter, into an opening along the short side of a cover, such as a duvet cover. After the bedding is stuffed inside the cover, a person must close the opening in the cover, and then smooth out the bedding within the cover. This process often involves long reaching or awkward maneuvering inside the cover to smooth the far corners of the cover, or shaking the bedding to correct bunching and folding problems. A person must then center the bedding within the cover to achieve consistent coverage across the surface of the bed.

The prior art involves closing the opening of the cover with buttons, snaps, single-sided zippers, draw strings, or the like as the closing mechanism. By sewing a number of evenly spaced buttons or snaps along one side of the cover opening, and evenly spacing button holes or snaps along the other side of the cover opening, a person may close the cover opening by buttoning or snapping the cover opening together.

There are a number of problems with using buttons or snaps as the closing mechanism to close the open side of the cover. First, the buttoning of buttons is time consuming; second, buttons are uncomfortable to the touch when the opening side is not placed at the foot of the bed; third, buttons may break or come loose from the cover and need replacing; and finally, often the inserted bedding is visible and bulges out of the cover in the areas between the buttons. Additionally, when the size of the opening is increased to make inserting easier, the above-noted problems with such closing mechanisms are exacerbated.

A need exists for an esthetically pleasing removable cover, and an easier, more user-friendly process for enclosing, smoothing, and aligning bedding material within the cover.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention incorporates a closure mechanism, such as, e.g., a hidden dressmaker's zipper, along at least two adjacent sides of a removable cover to give the appearance of a regular seam line, and allows for easier insertion of the bedding material into the cover.

The invention involves a cover for bedding material. The cover comprises a top section, a bottom section and three or more sides. The cover may be enclosed along at least one side, and constructed with a closure mechanism that appears hidden when closed along at least two adjacent sides. The closure mechanism includes a left side attached to, and along a first edge portion of an opening, and a right side attached to, and along a second edge portion of the opening in the cover. The closure mechanism may be attached to the first and second edge portions of the opening by any known method, including, e.g., but not limited to, sewing, gluing, or the like. The closure mechanism may include, e.g., a zipper with multiple interlocking teeth, a hook-and-loop fastener (e.g., Velcro®), or the like, which may be configured to give the appearance of a regular seam line when in the closed position. The closure mechanism may be further configured to be hidden from view by, e.g., storing a handle portion (e.g., a zipper slider) inside the cover when closed. The closure mechanism material may include at least one of metal, nylon, fabric, or plastic. The cover fabric may include at least one of cotton, man-made, synthetic, or leather material. The bedding material may include, e.g., a duvet, a comforter, a pillow, or the like.

The invention also involves a methodology for easily enclosing and removing a bedding material (e.g., a duvet, a comforter, a pillow, or the like) within a cover by applying a multi-step process. The process of enclosing a bedding material in the cover comprises: detaching the two left and right sides of the closure mechanism along the lengths of at least two sides of the cover, so as to provide an opening; placing the bedding material inside the cover through the opening; evenly distributing the bedding material inside the cover; smoothing the corners of the cover to eliminate bunching and folding; attaching the two left and right sides of the closure mechanism along the lengths of the at least two sides of the cover; and moving (or flipping) a handle portion of the closure mechanism toward and into the cover, before completely closing the opening.

The process of removing the bedding material from the cover comprises: detaching the left and right sides of the closure mechanism to slightly open the closure mechanism from a closed position; moving (or flipping) the handle portion of the closure mechanism from inside to outside the cover; detaching the left and right sides of the closure mechanism along the lengths of at least two adjacent sides of the cover to an open position; and opening the cover along the at least two adjacent sides and removing the bedding material from the cover.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the closure mechanism includes a zipper and a zipper slider, and the process of enclosing a bedding material in the cover comprises: moving a zipper slider to an end of the zipper teeth on the cover to provide an opening in the cover, wherein the opening may include at least two adjacent sides; placing the bedding material inside the cover through the opening; evenly distributing the bedding material inside the cover; smoothing the corners of the cover to eliminate bunching and folding; moving the zipper slider along its teeth to interlock the left and right sides of the teeth to a closed position; and flipping the zipper slider to reside inside the cover before completely closing the opening. The process for removing the bedding material from the cover comprises: moving the zipper slider to slightly open the zipper from closed position; flipping the zipper slider from inside to outside the cover; moving the zipper slider along its teeth to unlock the left and right sides of the teeth to an open position to provide a single opening in the cover, wherein the single opening is provided along at least two adjacent sides of the cover; and removing the bedding material from the cover.

The invention also involves a methodology for making and arranging the cover for the bedding material. The process of making the cover for the bedding material comprises: arranging a fabric pocket formed by the top and bottom sections of the cover and enclosed along at least one side with an opening provided along at least two adjacent sides; attaching the left side of the closure mechanism to a first edge portion of the single opening, along the length of the at least two adjacent sides; attaching the right side of the closure mechanism to a second edge portion of the single opening, along the length of the at least two adjacent sides. The process of making the cover may further comprise: moving a handle portion of the closure mechanism along the at least two adjacent sides such that the left and right sides of the closure mechanism attach into a closed position; and configuring and arranging the closure mechanism to give the appearance of a seam line. The handle portion may be constructed to be stored inside the cover in a closed position, and it may include at least one of metal, nylon, fabric, or plastic.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the closure mechanism comprises a zipper with multiple interlocking teeth and the process of making the cover comprises: arranging the top and bottom sections to form a fabric pocket enclosed along at least one side with an opening along at least two adjacent sides; sewing the left side of the zipper with multiple interlocking teeth along the first edge portion of the single opening formed along at least two adjacent sides; sewing the right side of the zipper with multiple interlocking teeth along a second edge portion of the single opening formed along the at least two adjacent sides; moving a zipper slider along its teeth to interlock the left and right sides of the teeth to a closed position; and configuring and arranging the zipper to give the appearance of a seam line. The zipper slider may be constructed to be stored inside the cover in a closed position, and it may include at least one of metal, nylon, fabric, or plastic.

An advantage of this invention is an easier and less time consuming process of inserting or removing a bedding material from a cover. Additionally, the invention provides a more esthetically pleasing removable cover with a hidden closure mechanism that is configured and arranged to give the appearance of a regular seam line of the cover, where the handle portion of the closure mechanism may be configured to be stored inside the cover. Moreover, the opening in the cover may be larger as a hidden closure mechanism will not look unattractive. The invention also allows for easier maintenance of the closing mechanism, since the closure mechanism is not as easy to loosen or break during washing as buttons or snaps.

Additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the invention may be set forth or apparent from consideration of the detailed description and drawings. Moreover, it is to be understood that both the foregoing summary of the invention and the following detailed description are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the detailed description serve to explain the principles of the invention. No attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than may be necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention and the various ways in which it may be practiced. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of bedding material within a removable cover, according principles of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a corner perspective view of the removable cover that may include a hidden closure mechanism;

FIG. 3 shows an illustration of a method of enclosing a bedding material within a cover, according to one aspect of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of an example of a hidden closure mechanism; and

FIG. 5 shows an example of a handle portion that may be used in the cover, according to principles of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments of the invention and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments and examples that are described and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following attached description. It should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and features of one embodiment may be employed with other embodiments as the skilled artisan would recognize, even if not explicitly stated herein. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques may be omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments of the invention. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the invention may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, the examples and embodiments herein should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. Moreover, it is noted that like reference numerals represent similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

The invention provides a cover for a bedding material, such as, e.g., a duvet, a comforter, a pillow, or the like, having an opening on at least two adjacent sides, where the opening may include a hidden closure mechanism (e.g., a zipper, a hook-and-loop fastener, or the like) that gives an appearance of a regular seam line when in the closed position, and where a handle portion of the closure mechanism may be configured to be stored inside the cover when in the closed position.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a bedding material 110 within a removable cover 100 that is in an open configuration (or position). The removable cover 100 comprises a top section, a bottom section and at least three sides—preferably four sides. The cover 100 is configured to have an opening along at least two of its adjacent sides 120.

Referring to FIG. 1, the cover 100 is shown for keeping the bedding material 110 clean by completely enclosing the bedding material 110 within the cover 100. The cover 100 may include a fabric pocket, preferably rectangular in shape, enclosed at least partially along one side with an opening along at least two adjacent sides 120, and such opening may possibly encompass a portion of at least one other adjacent side 230 (shown in FIG. 2). The opening in the cover 100, preferably arranged along a shorter side and an adjacent longer side of the cover 100, may be large enough to easily insert the bedding material 110 inside the cover 100. It is further contemplated that the opening may extend at least partially along the two adjacent sides 220 and may extend as much as, e.g., at least partially or wholly to the third and/or fourth sides of the cover 100.

The cover 100 may include a water proof fabric, including, e.g., a latex material, or the like, that protects the bedding material 110 from being affected by, e.g., spills, moisture, or the like, outside the cover 100.

FIG. 2 shows a corner perspective view of the cover 100 that may include a hidden closure mechanism 260, such as, e.g., a zipper, a hook-and-loop fastener, or the like, along at least two adjacent sides along the cover 100.

Referring to FIG. 2, the opening may include a closure mechanism 260 having, e.g., multiple interlocking teeth, wherein a left side of the closure mechanism 260 may be attached (e.g., by sewing, gluing, or the like) to an edge portion 240 of the bottom (or top) section 230 of the cover 100 along at least two adjacent sides. Further, a right side of the closure mechanism 260 may be attached (e.g., by sewing, gluing, or the like) an edge portion 250 to the top (or bottom) section of the cover 100 along at least two adjacent sides, which form the opening in the cover 100. The left and right sides of the closure mechanism 260 meet at least at one end of the opening and a handle portion 270 may be configured to interlock the left and right sides of the interlocking teeth when the closure mechanism 260 is in a closed position. In the closed position, the handle portion 270 may be configured and arranged to be stored inside the cover 100 and hidden from view, while the interlocking teeth may also be hidden from view and give an appearance of a seam line similar to a seam line along the other enclosed sides.

The cover 100 includes an internal volume, weight, height, depth, width, and fabric appropriate to house the bedding material 110, and may be constructed of cotton, man-made, synthetic, leather, a combination of materials, or the like. The cover 100 may readily be washed in a standard household washing machine, or dry cleaned. The closure mechanism may include, e.g., zipper teeth and a zipper slider 270, including an appropriate length which is at least the length of one opening, and may be constructed of metal, nylon, plastic, a combination of materials, or the like. The closure mechanism 260 may be strong, smooth, durable and shrink resistant to withstand everyday use and numerous washings. The handle portion 270 may include, e.g., a zipper slider, and it may come in numerous shapes, sizes and designs and be esthetically pleasing.

FIG. 3 shows an illustration of a method of enclosing the bedding material 110 within the cover 100, according to an embodiment of the invention, wherein the closure mechanism 260 is a zipper and the handle portion 270 is a zipper slider. It is noted that the closure mechanism 260, including the handle portion 270, is not limited to a zipper, but, instead, may include, e.g., a hook-and-loop fastener.

Referring to FIG. 3, the first step of enclosing the bedding material 110 within the cover 100 may be to open the cover 100 by moving the handle portion 270 to the open end of, e.g., the zipper teeth along at least two adjacent sides of the cover 100. The next step is to place the bedding material 110 inside the cover 100 and evenly distribute the bedding material 110 within the cover 100. This step may be performed preferably by one or two persons by holding onto one or more edges of a cover 100 with the bedding material 110 inside, and shaking the cover 100 to reduce bunching and folding of the material, and then smoothing the corners. Next, the handle portion 270 may be moved along the zipper teeth 300 to interlock the left side 310 and right side 320 of the open-sided cover to a closed position where the teeth are not exposed and are hidden from view 330. The handle portion 270 may then be flipped from outside to inside the cover 100 before the closure mechanism 260 completely closes the opening. The closing of the closure mechanism 260 may be performed either before, or after, or both before and after the shaking of the cover 100, to smooth out the bedding. Once this step is satisfactorily completed by the user, the cover 100 may be evenly placed on top of a bed or stored away accordingly.

The bedding material 110 may be removed from the cover 100 by reversing the steps above. Removal may include moving the handle portion 270 slightly open and flipping the handle portion 270 from inside to outside the cover 100. Next, the handle portion 270 may be moved along, e.g., the zipper teeth to unzip or unlock the left and right sides of a cover opening. Once opened, the user may reach in and remove the bedding material 110 by pulling it out from the cover opening.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a hidden closure mechanism 260 that includes the handle portion 270, wherein the closure mechanism 260 includes a zipper with interlocking teeth and the handle portion 270 includes a zipper slider that may be constructed to be stored inside the cover 100 in the closed position.

Referring to FIG. 4, the first step to making the cover 100 may be to attach at least one side of (e.g., by sewing, gluing, or the like) a top section to a bottom section of the cover 100, so as to form a fabric pocket. The cover 100 is preferably rectangular in shape and enclosed along at least one of its sides, with an opening formed along at least two adjacent sides 120. The opening may encompass a portion, or the whole of at least one additional, adjacent side. The opening along at least two adjacent sides 120, preferably attached (e.g., sewn, glued, or like) along a shorter side and an adjacent longer side of the cover 100, may be large enough to easily insert the bedding material 110 inside the cover 100. Moreover, this opening may be larger than conventional openings, since the closure mechanism 260 allows for a more attractive closure.

As seen in FIG. 4, the opening in the cover 100 may be formed by at least two sides, wherein the left side 420 of the closure mechanism 260 may be attached to the edge portion of the bottom (or top) section of the cover 100, along the at least two adjacent sides 120 of the opening in the cover 100. The right side 430 of the closure mechanism 260 may be attached to the edge portion of the top (or bottom) section of the cover 100, along the at least two adjacent sides 120 of the opening formed in the cover 100. The left side 420 and right side 430 of the closure mechanism 260 may be fastened to each other at one end of the opening (e.g., by zipping) to form a closed configuration 440.

The handle portion 270 may be constructed to be two-sided, easy to flip from outside to inside the cover 100, and may be made of metal, nylon, plastic, a combination thereof, or the like. The handle portion 270 may include, e.g., a zipper slider that is constructed to be stored inside the cover 100 in the closed or locked position and may be hidden from view.

The cover 100 may be constructed with an internal volume, weight, height, depth, width, and fabric appropriate to house the bedding material 110, and may be constructed of cotton, man-made, synthetic, leather, a combination of materials, or the like. The cover 100 may readily be washed in a standard household washing machine, or dry cleaned.

FIG. 5 shows a partial view of an example of a two-sided handle portion 270. The handle portion 270 may comprise a body 510 that is configured to, e.g., facilitate the mating of the teeth of the left and right portions of a zipper, as is known in the art. The handle portion 270 may further comprise a grip member support 520 that is configured to support a grip member 530, which is configured to be gripped, e.g., by the fingers of a user. The grip member support 520 may be further configured to allow the grip member 530 to be moved along the entire length of the grip member support 520, so as to allow the user to flip the grip member 530 from a top side 540 of the body 510 to a bottom side 550, thereby allowing the grip member 530 to be placed inside the cover 100, away from view, when the cover 100 is in the closed position.

It is noted that the invention is in now way limited to bedding material, but may, instead, include pillows, sofa cushions, seat cushions, automobile seat covers, seat covers, chair covers, or the like, without limitation.

While the invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modifications in the spirit and scope of the appended claims and drawings. The examples provided herein are merely illustrative and are not meant to be an exhaustive list of all possible designs, embodiments, applications or modifications of the invention. 

1. A cover having at least three sides and a pocket formed by a top section and a bottom section, comprising: an opening provided along at least two adjacent sides; a closure mechanism attached to an edge portion of the top section and an edge portion of the bottom section; and a handle portion configured to fasten the edge portion of the top section to the edge potion of the bottom section, wherein the closure mechanism is configured to give the appearance of a seam line when in a closed position.
 2. The cover of claim 1, wherein the pocket comprises a rectangular shape.
 3. The cover of claim 1, wherein the fabric pocket is structured to fully enclose a duvet, comforter, or other bedding material within the cover.
 4. The cover of claim 1, wherein the opening is arranged along at least a shorter side and an adjacent longer side of the cover.
 5. The cover of claim 1, wherein the opening encompasses a portion of at least one other adjacent side.
 6. The cover of claim 1, wherein closure mechanism comprises: a left side and a right side of a zipper, wherein the left side and right side are attached at one end of the opening.
 7. The cover of claim 1, wherein the length of the closure mechanism is at least the length of the opening.
 8. The cover of claim 1, wherein the handle portion is configured to be stored inside the cover in the closed position.
 9. The cover of claim 1, wherein the closure mechanism comprises at least one of: a metal; a nylon; and a plastic.
 10. The cover of claim 1, wherein the cover comprises at least one of: a cotton material; a man-made material; a synthetic material; and a leather material.
 11. A method for enclosing a bedding material in a cover, comprising: moving a handle portion to one end of a closure mechanism to provide an opening in the cover along at least two adjacent sides of the cover; placing a bedding material inside the cover; distributing the bedding material inside the cover; smoothing corners of the cover to correct for bunching and folding of a bedding material; and moving the handle portion to another end of the closure mechanism to close the opening in the cover, wherein the closure mechanism is not visible from outside the cover when in the closed position.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the closure mechanism comprises a zipper slider that is configured to flip to reside inside the cover.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the zipper slider is movable along a plurality of zipper teeth to unfasten a left side and a right side of the cover to form the opening.
 14. A method of making a cover having a top section, a bottom section and at least three sides for a bedding material, the method comprising: attaching at least one side of the bottom section to at least one side of the top section to form a pocket enclosed along at least one side; attaching a left side of a closure mechanism to an edge portion of the bottom section of the cover along at least two adjacent sides; and attaching a right side of the closure mechanism to the edge portion of the top section of the cover along the at least two adjacent sides, wherein the left and right sides of the closure mechanism may be fastened to each other to arrange the cover in a closed configuration, and wherein the closure mechanism is hidden from view when the cover is in the closed configuration.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the attaching the left side of the closure mechanism comprises sewing the left side of the closure mechanism and attaching the right side of the closure mechanism comprises sewing the right side of the closure mechanism.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the closure mechanism is sewn along a shorter side and an adjacent longer side of the cover.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the closure mechanism is sewn along a portion of at least one other adjacent side.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the left and right sides of the closure mechanism are sewn to meet at one end of the opening.
 19. The method of claim 16, wherein the length of the closure mechanism is sewn to at least the length of the opening.
 20. The cover of claim 16, wherein the closure mechanism comprises a handle portion that is constructed to be stored inside the cover in the closed configuration. 